Ute Gate Political Scandal

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has side-stepped questions about whether he is sorry he borrowed the rusty ute at the centre of the Utegate scandal and instead attacked The Courier-Mail.

In his home town for a community cabinet meeting, Mr Rudd was yesterday on the defensive when asked on the ABC about whether he would give back the ute he borrows from his friend, Ipswich car dealer John Grant.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull was bludgeoned in opinion polls this week after he pursued Mr Rudd over allegations his Government gave special help to Mr Grant to secure car industry finance.

But an email at the centre of the claims was last week exposed as a fake.

In response to questions about his borrowed ute, Mr Rudd was humourless.

“On this matter that when you have this entire affair resting on the existence of a forged and fake email and that the various people in politics have prosecuted a campaign alleging that the Prime Minister and the Treasurer (Wayne Swan) of the day are engaged in corrupt behaviour and that that in turn has been reflected in the content and tone of reporting by various newspapers around the country including in Brisbane, I think these matters have been canvassed in recent times,” Mr Rudd told the ABC.

Pressed on the question by 612 ABC Mornings presenter Madonna King, Mr Rudd continued by saying the public wanted the Government to get on with the task of dealing with the recession and creating jobs.

*Source news.com.au : CourierMail : Story by Stephanie Balogh- read more